The 90th Anniversary of the Latvian Republic was celebrated in 2008. Proclaimed on November 18, 1918, the Latvian republic asserted independence from Imperial Russia. International ''de jure'' recognition was obtained on January 26, 1921. In addition to the various domestic and international events organised to celebrate the anniversary, a commemorative stamp and coin were issued to mark the occasion. Various governments issued proclamations congratulating the Latvian republic; The US resolution, backed by

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

, called for the US president to urge Russia to admit the illegality of the

Soviet occupation During World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed several countries effectively handed over by Nazi Germany in the secret Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact of 1939. These included the eastern regions of Poland (incorporated into two different ...

. The 90th anniversary prompted the publication in 2010 of an academic retrospective of the Latvia nation state during the period of the occupation of the Baltic states

Domestic events

The celebrations, which spanned the month of November, were broadcast live and viewed by a total of 1.34 million Latvian residents, culminating with over 500,000 viewing President

Valdis Zatlers Valdis Zatlers (born 22 March 1955) is a Latvian politician and former physician who served as the seventh president of Latvia from 2007 to 2011. He won the Latvian presidential election of 31 May 2007. He became President of Latvia on 8 July 2 ...

' speech at the

Freedom Monument The Freedom Monument ( lv, Brīvības piemineklis, ) is located in Riga, Latvia, honouring soldiers killed during the Latvian War of Independence (1918–1920). It is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence, and sovereignty ...

on November 18, where a military parade was also held on that day.

International events

A number of cultural events were held in Russia. On November 8 a concert was held in Moscow by the Moscow Latvian Culture Society Choir. On November 11 on Latvian Freedom Fighters' Remembrance Day saw the Russian premiere of the Latvian feature film "

Defenders of Riga ''Defenders of Riga'' ( lv, Rīgas sargi) is a 2007 Latvian feature film directed by Aigars Grauba starring Elita Kļaviņa, Jānis Reinis, and Artūrs Skrastiņš. The film depicts the Latvian defense of Riga in November 1919 during its War o ...

" at the Moscow Cinematography Center. The acclaimed chamber orchestra "

Kremerata Baltica Kremerata Baltica is a chamber orchestra consisting of musicians from Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). It was founded by Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer in 1997. Gidon Kremer is an artistic director of Kremerata Baltica. Description ...

", pianist Vestards Šimkus, cellist Marta Sudraba and mezzo-soprano Baiba Berķe performed. A concert program was held in the city of

Vitebsk Vitebsk or Viciebsk (russian: Витебск, ; be, Ві́цебск, ; , ''Vitebsk'', lt, Vitebskas, pl, Witebsk), is a city in Belarus. The capital of the Vitebsk Region, it has 366,299 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth-largest c ...

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, where contemporary and traditional Latvian music was showcased. In addition to a gift of historical documents from the archives of the

Hoover Institute The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...

related to

Latvia–United States relations The United States established diplomatic relations with Latvia on July 28, 1922. The U.S. Legation in Riga was officially established on November 13, 1922, and served as the headquarters for U.S. representation in the Baltics during the interwar ...

, the USA granted Latvia inclusion into the

Visa Waiver Program The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is a program of the United States federal government that allows nationals of specific countries to travel to the U.S. for tourism, business, or while in transit for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. I ...

United States resolution on the 90th anniversary of the Latvian Republic

In recognition the US Senate commemorated the event by resolution. The ''90th anniversary of the Latvian Republic resolution'' () was submitted to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

by Senator

Gordon Smith Gordon Smith may refer to: In politics *Gordon H. Smith (born 1952), former U.S. Senator from Oregon, and current Area Authority for the LDS Church * Gordon Elsworth Smith (1918–2005), Canadian politician * Gordon Smith (academic) (1927–2009), ...

(R- OR), during the

110th United States Congress The 110th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the Presidency of George W. Bush. It was composed of ...

. The resolution congratulated the people of Latvia on the 90th anniversary of Latvia's November 18, 1918, declaration of independence; commended the government of Latvia for its success in implementing political and economic reforms, for establishing political, religious and economic freedom, and for its commitment to human and civil rights; and called upon the

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

and the Secretary of State to urge the government of the Russian Federation to acknowledge that the

of Latvia,

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

, and Lithuania under the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and for the succeeding 51 years was illegal. The resolution was introduced on June 9, 2008, and passed unanimously without amendment on September 16, 2008.opencongress.org

Co-sponsors

The resolution has 6 co-sponsors (in alphabetical order): * Sen. Robert Casey , PA* Sen. Richard Durbin , IL* Sen. Herbert Kohl , WI* Sen. Carl Levin , MI* Sen.

, IL* Sen. George Voinovich , OH

References

External links